Steam player counts are an odd metric. They can be a neat insight into a game's initial popularity (at least on PC), and a handy way of gaining some kind of ballpark on games that keep their active playerbase numbers closer to their chest.
But they're also unceremoniously used to throw games under the bus—declaring singleplayer games dead when they inevitably see a falloff in the weeks following release, or forgetting to factor in whether the game is in fact also on a bunch of other launchers and platforms.
How much we should pay attention to these player counts has become a more regular discussion as of late, so last week I put the question to you, the readers: Do you actually care about the numbers?
And, well, nearly half of you don't. A whopping 45% of you decided that you'd rather just enjoy the game. Which, honestly, is incredibly valid. Especially if you're just trying to enjoy a singleplayer experience, or regularly hop into a live service game where, as long as you're finding games and players fast enough, what's the need to ponder over it?
English (US)